Dance Lessons in Bell Gardens

Avant Garde's retinue of international instructors teaches more than 20 types of group classes at the Newport Beach studio. Whether you opt for the waltz, Argentine tango, jitterbug, cha-cha, street hustle, or one of the kids' classes, you'll have plenty of kick and spin space in which to unfurl your lean limbs and cloven hooves. Avant Garde features floating dance floors and 5,500 total square feet of dance space. While the floors don't actually float without the proper incantation, they do offer flexible support for hours of dancing unaccompanied by hours of leg and back pain. Check the schedule for a full list of class options.

“We believe that every child is a champion.” This mission statement informs the approach that Cal Elite Kids takes with the participants of its programs. Youngsters may learn self-reliance in gymnastics lessons, which take place on an in-ground tumble-track trampoline, on an array of beams and bars, or in the air above an in-ground foam pit. They also develop discipline in dance class; at the Rancho Santa Margarita facility, the five dance studios inspire with views of the surrounding mountains.

Cal Elite Kids’ charges can even learn how to express themselves through athletic theatrical performances or simply improve their 2 a.m. Friday-night karaoke warblings during Glee Elite sessions.

At The Bea Hive Dance Studio, shoes hit 6,000 square feet of floating dance floor in the cadences of swing, ballroom, hip-hop, salsa, and other groovy disciplines. The beats rarely stop inside the venue's three rooms—they host lessons and competitive training in addition to weekend dance parties, where students can both socialize and practice their steps. Just as it embraces a wide variety of styles, the studio teaches dance for all purposes. Private classes steer couples through wedding sashays, and ballet and tap classes for toddlers prompt parents to look forward to future stomping tantrums.

Regardless of the reason behind the rhythm, guests can rest assured that each rug-cutting venture is overseen by a seasoned instructor. Some of the staff's accomplishments include performing for Nelson Mandela and nabbing third place in the team division of the World Latin Dance Cup. Their accolades have not prompted an exclusive attitude, however; they accept pupils of any age and experience level.

Founded in 1989 by Mestre Amen Santo—the choreographer who added a touch of authenticity to the capoeira scenes in 1993’s Only The Strong —Brasil Brasil Cultural Center hosts classes in Brazil’s signature martial art alongside lessons in other multicultural disciplines. Like a fight with the cast of a variety show, capoeira combines martial artistry, dance, and acrobatics, fusing them into a stylized Afro-Brazilian art form. To complement capoeira sessions—available to adults as well as children aged 4 and older—instructors also teach Portuguese language classes, health classes and dance classes. Students can also cut rugs in dance styles such as the samba, West African dance, and belly dancing, and youngsters can get their first taste of Brazilian rhythms through workshops with the Ballet Folclórico Do Brasil, a dance company that reaches more than 50,000 children annually.

In 2003, the teaching staffs behind the Butler-Fearon and the O’Connor-Kennedy Schools realized something: though both academies nurtured the physical, mental, and competitive skills of scores of young Irish dancers, they could form a more robust program by combining forces. Once united, the team of Rose Fearon, Vincent O’Connor, and Kathleen O’Connor—each a certified Irish dance adjudicator—implemented a revised curriculum reaching students from both American coasts to the solid-ice skyscrapers of Ontario. Today, Butler-Fearon-O'Connor trains everyone from girls buckling their jig shoes for the first time to experienced adults, many of whom—such as 2011 world champion Emily Penner—have danced competitively at home or across the pond and landed spots on touring companies for shows such as Riverdance.

Focusing on perfecting traditional form and technique, classes are kept as small as possible, ensuring personalized attention from one of the school's 10 experienced, decorated instructors. Students also learn stamina, flexibility, and presentation, with an emphasis on avoiding motions that tend to draw judges' ire, such as clumsy arm placement and badgering the audience. Many locations also host more casual classes for adults and groups such as Girl Scout troops.

Chi Chi Randolph has choreographed routines for hip-hop artists including Nelly and the Black Eyed Peas. Kari Lehman has 15 years of ballet training experience. Viviane Bressan turned her love of belly dance into a career, traversing the globe while teaching and performing the ancient art. At Dance Austin Studio, these three number among more than a dozen dance instructors whose dazzlingly diverse backgrounds enable an array of classes for everyone from preschoolers to grownups and fitness buffs to serious students of dance.

Zumba combines fast-paced cardio choreography with dynamic Latin rhythms, and the 18-and-older Sexy Stiletto Fit class uses high heels to tone calves and build confidence. Students can choose to learn fundamental positions, steps, and vocabulary during structured ballet, lyrical, and jazz programs, or they can develop video-ready swagger during hip-hop classes. The studio’s sense of fun occasionally spills out into the community—it recently teamed up with the city’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management to spark a flash mob at city hall, held to raise awareness of emergency preparedness and help officials practice what to do if invaded by dancing aliens.